Perfection
by bitbybite
Summary: If there was one thing she liked, above any and everything else, it was perfection. From the first time she met him, almost five years ago, she had decided that there could never been anyone more perfect than Tezuka Kunimitsu. And there was nothing he could do to her or to others that could knock that honor away from him.
1. Chapter 1

If there was one thing she liked, above any and everything else, it was perfection. In her eyes, and in at least dozens of others – she was sure – he was perfection. From the first time she met him, almost five years ago, she had decided that there could never been anyone more perfect than Tezuka Kunimitsu. And there was nothing he could do to her or to others that could knock that honor away from him.

He cleared his throat and she shuddered, realizing that she had spent the last few minutes staring at him. "Do you need anything?" he asked. Keiko shook her head. She focused back on the psychology textbook; it didn't take her long before she was lost in the words, highlighting and jotting every phrase she found thought provoking, profound, or factually important.

Two hours had passed before she refocused her attention at the brown-haired boy across from her. The two stacks of books that enclosed him had switched sides. His _done_ stack now towering over his _to do_ stack triumphantly. She chuckled softly, earning a curious glare from the boy. _Always the hard worker, Tezuka._ She wrote her final thoughts on the last two chapters of the psychology reading in her notebook before packing everything neatly in her bag. She leaned forward on the table, careful not to cast any shadows on Tezuka's side of the desk. She rested her head on her right hand as she soaked in his concentration-ridden face. She patiently waited for him to finish so they'll walk home together. _Or have dinner_, she thought, _I'm starving_.

"I'm done, sorry to keep you waiting," he said in an almost robotic manner. She shook her head.

"It's fine," she replied, zipping up her leather tote. "Let's go?"

"Hn."

They walked in silent synchronization, always maintaining a healthy amount of space between the two of them, for the first three blocks. The dark streets prompted Keiko to recall the book she had recently finished reading. Monsters are created because of societal fears, the book argued, and Keiko couldn't help but agree. She was so deep in her thoughts that she didn't notice the boy to her left make a sharp right turn, bumping into her.

"Sorry." It was her turn to apologize. She looked at him, and cocked her head slightly. "Aren't we cutting through the park?"

He shook his head. "There have been a series of robberies lately, so it is best if we don't." She nodded. _Knowledgeable as always._ The route they were currently taken, although safer, was longer and less scenic. It added ten minutes to their journey, not that Keiko minded, but she wasn't sure about him.

Tezuka looked at the sky, cautious that the overwhelming humidity meant that there was a high chance of rain. He had, unfortunately, forgotten his umbrella and he doubted that Keiko had brought hers. He was right. There was a crack, a thud, and then rain. Keiko let out a gasp, turning to look at Tezuka – half-filled with expectation and the other half surprise. "Did you bring an umbrella?" she asked, a pout on her lips. He glanced down at her, and almost wish he didn't.

It wasn't just raining, it poured. In just a minute and a half, she was completely soaked, her casual white t-shirt and jeans ensemble was now much more scandalous. "Oh no," she whispered, eyebrows furrowing and lips frowning. Tezuka shook his head, and led her to a phone booth he knew was nearby. It wasn't a tight fit, but it was every bit as awkward. Tezuka found a lamp post outside, behind Keiko, and focused on that. Keiko found it hard for her to look at anything other than the way Tezuka's polo clung to his sculpted figure. "So hot…" she breathed, regretting it immediately.

"Excuse me?" _Hot? Is this girl crazy?_ "You're hot." That didn't sound right.

He sighed and pulled his tennis jacket from his backpack and tossed it at her. "Cover up," he managed to cough out.

Keiko gladly accepted his offer and zipped up the blue jacket, fiddling with something underneath it, until she slipped something white off. Tezuka tried not to widen his eyes. He was never, ever going home with Hotaru Keiko ever again.

"Why'd you do that…?"

She said matter-of-factly, "I don't like wearing wet shirts." Tezuka shook his head. There was nothing separating his tennis jacket and his classmate's bare skin. Except for maybe her brassiere. _Bad thoughts._


	2. Chapter 2

Rude. Tezuka Kunimitsu was _never_ rude. He could be curt, cold, and perhaps even cruel, but he was never _rude_. But here he was, barging in to what seemed like a nice family dinner, to pull a certain black haired girl away because of one text that read '_Please help'_. He smiled at the waitress, mouthing "I'm looking for someone" as his sharp eyes scanned the room. Failing to spot her, he pulled out his cellphone to send her another text message. "This woman," he gritted between his teeth. "Nothing but trouble."

Tezuka was about to give up when he received no text reply, until he heard someone yell – no, shriek – his name. He snapped his head to come fact to face with Hotaru Keiko, her hair black hair now sporting a pink ombre. _What the…_ She wore a fitted, white bandage dress and strappy white heels. _Inappropriate. This woman is inappropriate._ Without an explanation, she hooked her arms with his and dragged him to a nearby table where six pairs of eyes scrutinized him from head to toe – him in his track suit and tennis shoes.

"Keiko, who is this?" asked a brown haired man around the same age as Tezuka. He made his way towards her and loosely held onto her free elbow. "Why are you holding onto him like that?"

"Sorry, Yuu-san," she said, easing herself from his grip. "I'm rejecting you."

"For him?" He shouted, bewildered, pointing an accusing finger at Tezuka who frowned ever so slightly at the girl next to him. She simply huddled closer to him. "On my birthday?"

_Ouch_, Tezuka thought, glancing at the girl whose hand he was now holding. _That's cold._

"For him," she reaffirmed, looking at the birthday cake on the table momentarily. "On your birthday," she added.

"What's so good about him?" the birthday boy questioned, giving Tezuka a glare.

She smiled thoughtfully before replying, "He's perfect."


	3. Chapter 3

Tezuka almost sneered when he saw his seatmate walk in through the door – blue button down crisp and perfectly ironed tucked neatly into a knee-length black skirt. The pink in her hair (which he found out were just clip-ons) gone, and her hair tied into a neat, bouncy ponytail.

"Good morning, Tezuka-san," she greeted him with all smiles. He gave her a curt nod. He saw a crowd of girls approaching their table to talk to her instead of him. In terms of popularity, Tezuka lost out to her, not that he minded. It was nice not to have girls bother him while he tried to do his morning reading. From his seat, he could pick up fragments of the conversation Keiko was having.

"Kei-chan – I can call you that, right? – you are perfect!" one person squealed, going off on how Keiko was a snazzy dresser (_If only they saw what she was wearing the other day_, he jeered) and how absolutely intelligent she was (that, Tezuka could not argue with). At the compliments, Keiko could only laugh, throwing Tezuka a glance.

"I think Tezuka-san is perfect," she said teasingly. At that moment he decided that (1) Hotaru Keiko was definitely not perfect, (2) he disliked her, and (3) she's a troublemaker. The group of girls could only squeal in agreement.

* * *

"I think we need to set some ground rules," Tezuka said as he walked Keiko out the classroom after their late night study session. She cocked her head at him and from the look in her eyes, he could tell she was laughing at him.

"What do you have in mind?"

"One, don't ask me to whisk you away from any type of social gathering again." She nodded and he continued, "Two, start carrying an umbrella with you, always." She laughed, but nodded anyway. "Three, stop telling everyone I am perfect," he finished. _And stop wearing those tight dresses, it is unbecoming._

She feigned innocence. "Even if you are?"

"I'm not perfect," he countered, walking her into the apartment building. They lived on the same floor of the same building, his around the corner from hers. "Good night, Hotaru."

"Good night, Tezuka."


	4. Chapter 4

Tezuka could not recall what convinced him to end up in her apartment. They had went out to celebrate the end of the term with the rest of their classmates, a rare occurrence for the stoic-faced tennis prodigy. He then walked with her home, as always, and she'd ask him to come in for a cup of tea. So here he was, in her pretty, all-white living room, sitting awkwardly next to her. Clearing his throat, he took off his jacket and laid it on the empty space to his right.

Hotaru Keiko found it hard to peel her eyes away from Tezuka. It was always like that, though, she reasoned. She smiled inwardly. _He's taking off his jacket like he's here to stay…_ "Tea?" she asked. He nodded. The apartment was small, so from the kitchen space she could see the back of Tezuka's head as he flipped through whatever magazine she had lying on her coffee table. She leaned forward on the counter, wandering eyes mentally undressing the brown-haired man. _No, bad thoughts._

The sound of boiling water saved her from her own inappropriate thoughts. She placed two cups of tea on the coffee table and took a seat next to Tezuka. He simply nodded. Keiko couldn't tell if the warmth she felt was from the heater, the tea, the man next to her, or herself. She hoped it wasn't the latter.

"Will you be doing anything this break?" he asked, eyes never leaving the business magazine in his hands. It was the latest issue that he hadn't found time to read. Keiko was too busy taking in his form to process his question. After a few silent moments, he finally looked up. "Is something wrong?"

"Huh?" Her eyes lost their airy gaze. "I'm sorry?"

"You were staring." _It's impolite._

She smiled sheepishly. "Sorry."

"So are you?" Somehow, Tezuka always found himself carrying the bulk of the conversation around her. She cocked her head at him, eyes furrowing the slightest. She asked him to clarify his question. "Are you doing anything this break?"

Keiko turned her fully body to him, folding her legs into an Indian sit. Tezuka resisted the urge to slap her legs off the couch. _It is her house_, he reminded himself. After a few pensive moments she answered, "Nothing, really."

"Hn."

"How about you?"

"Preparing for next term," he replied, breaking eye contact to resume his reading.

_How studious_, she thought, giving him one last glance before picking up a book herself to read. The silence they shared was comfortable, normal even. Their interactions, save for a few extraordinary circumstances, was composed mainly of silence. Occasionally Keiko would switch reading positions, her legs sometimes brushing against Tezuka's. She'd murmur an apology and he'd simply nod. Time slipped by, the two of them too engrossed in their reading material to really care. It wasn't until the teapot ceased to pour out tea did Tezuka take a look at his watch. _2:38 a.m._ He cleared his throat, catching the attention of his host. "I should get going." He waited for Keiko by the door.

"Good night," she said softly, opening the door for him.

"Good night, Hotaru."

* * *

**A/N: This chapter is inspired by the song, "Pretty Thoughts" by Alina Baraz and Galimatias**

**Lilting Glamour - Thanks for the review! I'll definitely take that pointer into consideration, but I stylistically prefer to write shorter chapters but to update frequently. I, however, want to work on writing longer chapters! ^_^**


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